Editing Nursing Skills and Procedures – LPN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 1==
A licensed practical nurse is inserting an indwelling urinary catheter for a female client. The catheter has been advanced 3 inches and no urine has returned. Which action should the nurse take?
# Inflate the balloon and then advance the catheter further.
# Withdraw the catheter slightly and inflate the balloon.
# Advance the catheter further until urine returns.
# Remove the catheter and notify the registered nurse.

'''Answer:''' 3 (C). Advance the catheter further until urine returns.

''Rationale:'' The balloon is never inflated until urine return confirms the catheter is in the bladder. Inflating in the urethra causes severe trauma and can rupture the urethra, so options 1 and 2 are unsafe. The nurse continues to advance gently until urine appears, then advances another 1 to 2 inches before inflating. Option 4 is premature; the catheter is still sterile and in place, and no resistance has been met. If firm resistance were encountered, the nurse would stop, not force, and notify.